Duplicating machine with dual receiving trays



M f 0 H m m JV a. 7 Wmm a h R v 3 S JN & m WW 2W m rim 4 4 m G. P.NIESEN ETAL DUPLICATING MACHINE WITH DUAL RECEIVING TRAYS Nov. 8, 1966Original Filed Aug. 13, 1962 G. P. NIESEN ETAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTORfi FIG, 5

George B 7Zzesen, O'nihony J filaggio Nov. 8, 1966 DUPLIGATING MACHINEWITH DUAL RECEIVING TRAYS ori inal Filed Aug. 13, 1962 M m E HI Q w m NH 8 l I 4 I 2 l .w .wl. B h H 6 I 1 m L T a I [.IIFUII L L 4 4 6 F r IfI? g 7 8 7 Nov. 8, 1966 G. P. NIESEN ETAL DUPLICATING MACHINE WITH DUALRECEIVING TRAYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed Aug. 13, 1962 m .ww PJWWW I 0 h r? 0 72C g fg ,VWL saM' Q'iiiys Nov. 8, 1966 v P. NIESEN ETAL3,

DUPLICATING MACHINE WITH DUAL RECEIVING TRAYS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 OriginalFiled Aug. 13, 1962 I NVENTORS George R 7-?zesegz Gui/wry J 71703510United States Patent 3,283,705 DUPLICATING MACHINE WHTH DUAL RECEIVINGTRAYS George P. Niesen, Niles, and Anthony J. Mazzio, Chicago, 111.,.assignors to A. B. Dick Company, Niles, 11]., a corporation of IllinoisOriginal application Aug. 13, 1962, Ser. No. 216,612, now Patent No.3,234,832, dated Feb. 15, 1966. Divided and this application Sept. 2,1965, Ser. No. 484,685 9 Claims. (Cl. 101-132) This application is adivision of our copending application, Serial No. 216,612, filed August13, 1962, now Patent No. 3,234,832.

This invention relates to printing machines and pertains particularly toduplicating machines for oflice use. The invention is applicable toduplicators of all types, such as spirit or solvent transfer, stencil,and lithographic duplicators, for example.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improvedduplicator having a plurality of receiving trays, together with meansfor selectively directing the printed copies into any of the trays.

A more specific object is to provide a new and improved duplicatorhaving upper and lower receiving trays to gether with a movabledeflecting member for directing the printed copies produced by theduplicator into either of the trays.

A further object is to provide a new and improved duplicator of theforegoing character having means for automatically directing the firstcopy of the first few copies into the upper tray, and then directing theremaining copies of the run into the lower tray.

Another object is to provide a new and improved duplicat'or having firstcounter means for directing a predetermined number of copies into one ofthe receiving trays, and then directing the subsequent copies into theother receiving tray, together with second counter means for stoppingthe operation of the duplicator after a desired number of copies havebeen directed into the second receiving tray.

It is a further object to provide a new and improved duplicator havingmeans for delivering-the initial copies to 'one position from which theymay be readily removed, while the machine continues to produce copieswhich are delivered to a second position.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear fromthe following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevational sectional view of aduplicating machine to be described as an illustrative embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is an elevational sectional view taken generally along a line 22in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a somewhat diagrammatic side elevational view of the controlmechanism for the duplicator.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan View showing the dual receiving traysemployed in the duplicator.

FIG. 5 is a somewhat diagrammatic elevational sectional view takengenerally along a line 55 in FIG. 4.

The drawings illustrate the present invention in connection with aduplicator which may be of any conventional or desired type. Thus, theduplicator 10 comprises a printing cylinder 12 which may be adapted tohold the printing master, stencil or plate, according to the type ofduplicator. An impression roller 14 is provided to press the copy sheetsagainst the printing cylinder or drum 12. It will be understood that theprinting cylinder 12 may be driven manually, by an electric motor, or inany other desired manner. An appropriate mechanism may be provided tofeed the copy sheets between the printing cylinder 12 and the impressionroller 14.

ICC

After being compressed between the printing cylinder 12 and theimpression roller 14, the copy sheets pass between upper and lower guideplates 16 and 18. In this case, the machine It} is provided with aslitter mechanism 2tl which slits or cuts each sheet in the direction inwhich it is traveling, as the sheet travels between the guide plates 16and 18. In this case, the slitter mechanism 20 comprises upper and lowerslitting or shearing; wheels 22 and 24, which are secured to parallelshafts 26 and 28. It will be seen that the wheels 22 and 24 have sideportions 30 and 32 which are in shearing engagement. The slitting wheels22 and 24 may be adjusted to various positions along the length of theshafts 26 and 28. Thus, the illustrated wheels 22 and 24 are secured tothe shafts 26 and 28 by means of set screws 34 and 36 which may beloosened to provide for adjustment of the wheels along the shafts.

To propel the copy sheet between the slitter wheels 22 and 24, it ispreferred to provide forwarding rollers 38 and 40 on the shafts 26 and28. As shown to advantage in FIG. 2, two sets of the forwarding rollers38 and 40 may be employed. The rollers 38 and 40 may be adjustable inposition along the shafts 26 and 28. Preferably, the shafts 26 and 28are square or of some other noncir-cular shape for driving the slitterwheels 22 and 24 and the rollers 38 and 40.

The slitter wheel 22 is normally biased against the slitter wheel 24 bymeans of a spring 42 which may be mounted around the shaft 26. By meansof a member 44, slidably mounted on a guide rod 46, the slitter wheel 22may be retracted from the slitter wheel 24, against the biasing actionof the spring 42. In this way, the slitter mechanism 2t) is disabled sothat the copy sheets will not be cut. The disabling member 44 may beprovided with a convenient handle 46. To retain the slitter wheel 22 inits retracted position, the member 44 may be formed with a hook 48 whichmay be engaged with a pin 50. The member 44 has an arm or portion 52which slidably engages the slitter wheel 22. A spring 54 is connected tothe member 44 so as to bias the member in such a direction as to permitthe slitter wheel 22 to engage the slitter wheel 24. Instead of theslitter wheels 22 and .24, the machine may be provided with perforatingwheels or scoring wheels, if desired. As a further alternative, theslitter wheels may be omitted from the machine.

The retracting or disabling member 44 may be slidably mounted on abracket which may be secured to the rod 46 by means of a set screw 62.It will be understood that the set screw 62 may be loosened to adjustthe position of the bracket 61 along the rod 64. The pin 5% may bemounted on a portion of the bracket 60. The spring 54 may be connectedbetween the member 44 and the bracket 69.

The shafts 26 and 28 may be driven by means of a gear train 65comprising gears 67 and 69, mounted on the shafts 26 and 28, and a gear71, rotatably mounted on the rod 46. The gear 67 meshes with the gear69, while the gear 71 meshes with the gear 67. The gear 71 may beadapted to mesh with a gear 73 secured to the printing cylinder 12.

The illustrated duplicator 10 is provided with a plurality of receivingtrays for receiving the printed copy sheets from the slitting mechanism20, or directly from the printing cylinder 12 if the slitting mechanismis not operating. While more than two receiving trays may be employed,the illustrated machine 10 utilizes upper and lower receiving trays 74and 76, together with a mechanism 78 for selectively delivering the copysheets to either of the trays. It is preferred to direct the first sheetor the first few sheets of a printing run to the upper receiving tray74, where the sheets are readily accessible and may be quickly removed,while the remainder of the 3 sheets in the run are directed into thelower receiving tray 76. Thus, in many business operations, the firstfew sheets may be removed from the upper receiving tray 74 for immediatedistribution, while the remaining copies may be accumulated in the lowerreceiving tray 76 for use as file copies or for later distribution.

To facilitate removal of the sheets from the lower receiving tray 76,the upper receiving tray 74 may be mounted for upward swinging movement.In this way, easy access is afforded to the lower receiving tray. Thus,the inner end portion of the upper receiving tray 74 is supported by apair of pivots 80 which may extend through side flanges 82 on the upperreceiving tray 74. In this case, the pivots 80 are mounted on upstandingside flanges 84 formed on the lower receiving tray 76. The outer portionof the upper receiving tray '76 is adapted to rest upon a pair of endflanges 86 which extend upwardly from the outer end of the lowerreceiving tray 76.

The receiving trays 74 and 76 are suitably mounted on the machine 18 soas to be easily removable therefrom. Thus, the lower receiving tray 76has lower side flanges 88, each of which is formed with notches 98- and92 adapted to be disengageably received over rods or pins 94 and 96 onthe machine 18.

The receiving trays 74 and 76 are preferably provided with means forseparating or deflecting the two portions of the sheets after they havebeen cut by the slitting mechanism 26. As shown to advantage in FIGS. 4and 5, the upper receiving tray 74 is formed with a central generallytriangular ridge or hump 100 having generally triangular deflector sides162 and 1'84 sloping in opposite lateral directions. It will be seenfrom FIG. 4 that the ridge 180 tapers toward the inner end of the upperreceiving tray 74. The lower receiving tray 76 has a similar ridge 106.When slit sheets are being delivered to the receiving tray 74, theseparate portions of each sheet are normally deposited on the oppositelysloping sides 102 and 104 of the ridge 108. Thus, the slit portions ofthe sheets tend to be deflected toward opposite lateral sides of thereceiving tray so as to be accumulated in separate piles. The ridge 106of the lower receiving tray 76 produces a similar action.

The mechanism 78 for directing the sheets into either of the receivingtrays 74 and 76 may comprise a deflector plate of baflle 110 movablebetween two positions, as shown in full and broken lines in FIG. 1. Thedeflector plate 110 may be secured to an operating shaft 112. When thedeflector plate 118 is in its full-line position, the sheets pass fromthe guide plates 16 and 18 over the deflector plate 110 and into theupper receiving tray 74. When the deflector plate 110 is swung to itsbrokenline position, the sheets travel under the deflector plate anddownwardly into the lower receiving tray 76. It will be evident that thedeflector plate 110 could be operated manually, but it is preferred toemploy a counter mechanism which keeps the deflector plate in itsfull-line position until a predetermined number of sheets have beendirected into the upper receiving tray 74, and then shifts the deflectorplate 110 into its broken-line position so that the remainder of thesheets in the run will be directed into the lower receiving tray 76. Themechanism. may include an additional counter for stopping the operationof the machine after a preselected number of sheets have been deliveredinto the lower receiving tray.

Thus, the mechanism associated with the upper and lower receiving trays74 and 76 preferably comprises an upper counter 114 and a lower counter116. As illustrated, the upper counter employs a counter or ratchetwheel 118 which is rotatable about a shaft or pin 120. The ratchet wheel118 is adapted to be advanced by a pawl 122 which is pivotally mountedon a rocker arm 124. Whenever the machine is running, the rocker arm 124is oscillated back and forth about the shaft 128 by means of a powerlever 126 operable by a cam 128 on the shaft 130 for the printingcylinder 12. The lever 126 carries a roller 132 which rides upon the cam128. A suitable spring 134 is provided to bias the lever 126 in such adirection that the roller 132 will be maintained in engagement with thecam 128. In this case, the rocker arm 124 carries a roller 136 whichengages one edge of the power lever 126. A spring 138 biases the rockerarm 124 in such a direction as to maintain the roller 136 against thepower lever 126.

The pawl 122 may be biased toward the ratchet wheel 118 by means of aspring 140 connected between the pawl and the rocker arm 124. The pawl122 is adapted to advance the ratchet wheel through one step for eachoscillatory cycle of the rocker arm 124.

The ratchet wheel 118 has ratchet teeth 143 which extend for only aportion of the circumference of the ratchet wheel 118. The pawl 122 isadapted to advance the ratchet wheel 118 until the pawl runs out ofteeth. In FIG. 3, the ratchet wheel 118 is shown in the position inwhich the pawl has run out of teeth. This is the zero position of theratchet wheel, at which the deflector plate 110 is shifted so as todirect the sheets into the lower receiving tray 76.

It will be seen that the shaft 112 for the deflector plate 110 is fittedwith a control arm 145 having a flange or tab 147 which is adapted toengage the counter wheel 118. At one point in its circumference, thecounter wheel 118 is formed with a notch 149 adapted to receive theflange 147. A spring 151 is connected to the arm 145, so as to bias theflange 147 against the counter wheel 118. Thus, the spring 151 causesthe arm 145 to swing clockwise when the flange 147 enters the notch 149.The consequent rotation of the shaft 112 causes the deflector plate 110to swing between its fulland broken-line positions, as shown in FIG. 1.The flange 147 enters the notch 149 when the counter wheel 118 is movedto its zero position by the pawl 122.

The advancing movement of the ratchet wheel 118 by the pawl 122 isresisted by a return spring 154 which tends to rotate the ratchet wheel118 in a clockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 3. Normally, however, suchretrograde movement of the ratchet wheel 118 is prevented by anon-retrograde pawl 156, which is biased against the ratchet teeth 143by a spring 158.

The initial position on the ratchet wheel 118 is determined by a stoppin 160, which is mounted on the-ratchet wheel 118 and is engageablewith a stop flange 162 on an adjustable stop member 164. The position ofthe stop member 164 may be changed by manually rotating a selector cam166, which is rotatable about a shaft or pin 168. A manually rotatableknob is connected to the cam 166. A pin or roller 172 is mounted on theadjustable stop member 164 for engagement with the cam 166. The stopmember 164 is formed with a longitudinal slot 174, which is slidablyreceived around the shaft 168.

To provide a detenting action, the cam 166 is formed with a plurality ofnotches 175, 176, 177, and 178 adapted to receive the pin 172. A biasingspring 180 may be connected to the pin 172 so as to bias the pin againstthe cam 166.

The ratchet wheel 118 is adapted to be reset to its initial position bymeans of a manually operable resetting cam which is swingable about theshaft 128. It will be seen that the cam 185 is formed with lobes 187 and189 adapted to push the flange 147, the nonretrograde pawl 156 and theadvancing pawl 122 away from the ratchet or counting wheel 118, so thatthe wheel will be free to rotate in a clockwise direction under thebiasing action of the spring 154. The return movement of the wheel 118is limited by the engagement of the pin 160 with the flange 162 on theadjustable stop member 164. Thus, the initial position of the ratchetwheel 118 is variable, depending upon the position of the adjustablestop member 164. The adjustment of the initial position of the ratchetwheel 118 changes the number of steps through which the ratchet wheelwill be advanced before the flange 147 enters the notch 149.Accordingly, the numher of copies deflected into the upper machiningtray 74 may be varied.

The lobe 187 of the resetting cam 185 is adapted to push the flange 147out of the notch 149 and away from the counting or ratchet wheel 118.The lobe 189 is adapted to push the nonretrograde pawl 156 and then themain pawl 122 away from the ratchet teeth 143.

Provision may be made for operating the resetting earn 185 by means of amanually swingable lever 192, which may also be the lever which operatesthe master or plate clamp on the printing cylinder 12. Such clamp, notshown, is adapted to secure a master sheet or printing plate to theprinting cylinder 12. Before each new run, a new master is normallymounted on the printing cylinder 12. This necessitates the operation ofthe lever 192 in a counterclockwise direction to open the master clamp,so that the oldmaster may be removed from the printing cylinder 12, andmay be replaced by a new master. In this case, the lever 192 isswingable about a pivot 194 and is provided with a pin 196 adapted toengage a lever 198. It will be seen that counterclockwise movement ofthe lever 192 causes the lever 198 to be swung in a counterclockwisedirection about a pivot 208. As shown in FIG. 3, a link 2112 isconnected between the lever 198 and an arm 284 on the resetting earn185, so that the counterclockwise movement of the lever 198 will causeclockwise rotation of the cam 185.

As already indicated, the lower counter 116 is adapted to stop thecooperation of the duplicating machine 18 after a predetermined numberof copy sheets have been printed. Thus, the counter 116 comprises acounting or ratchet wheel 210 having ratchet teeth 212 extending arounda portion of its periphery. The counting wheel 218 is rotatable about ashaft or pin 214.

It will be seen that the wheel 210 is also formed with a peripheralnotch 216 adapted to receive a flange or pawl 218 on a control lever220. A spring 222 is connected to the control lever 228 to bias theflange 218 against the wheel 210. When the notch 216 reaches the flange218, the spring 222 causes the control lever 220 to swing in a clockwisedirection. This movement of the control lever 228 is utilized to stopthe feeding of copy sheets to the printing cylinder 12. In this case, alink 2224 is connected between the control lever 220 and a lever 226.The link 224 causes the lever 226 to swing upwardly about a pivot 228when the lever 221) swings clockwise.

As illustrated, the duplicating machine has a main feed-control lever238, which the operator may swing in a clockwise direction to start thefeeding of copy sheets to the printing cylinder 12. The lever 230 isswingable about a pivot 232. In FIG. 3, the lever 238 is shown in fulllines in the position in which the feed mechanism is activated so as tofeed sheets to the printing cylinder 12. The inactive or off position ofthe feed lever 238 is shown in broken lines.

The lever 230 has a cam portion 234 adapted to operate a control arm 236of the feed mechanism. The cam 234 is engaged by a roller 238 on the arm236. It will be seen that the cam 234 is formed with a detent notch 240adapted to receive the roller 238 when the lever 230 is in its actuatedposition.

In this case, the lever 226 carries a pin or roller 242 which is adaptedto engage the lower edge portion 244 of the lever 2311. Thus, when thelever 226 is swung in a clockwise direction, the pin 242 is effective toswing the main feed-control lever 230 in a counterclockwise direction toits off position, in which the roller 238 engages the low oint 246 onthe cam 234.

The counter or ratchet wheel 218 is adapted to be advanced in aclockwise direction from its initial position by a pawl 258, which isswingable about a pivot 252 carried by a rocker arm 254. It will be seenthat the arm 254 is swingable about the shaft 214. A spring 256 is con-8 nected between the pawl 250 and the rocker arm 2S4'so as to bias thepawl against the counting wheel 210.

In order to operate the rocker arm 254, the rocker arm is connected to adepending arm 258 on the rocker 124. In this case, a pin-and-slotconnection is employed between the arm 258 and the rocker arm 254. Thus,a pin 261) is mounted on the arm 258 and is received in a slot 262formed in the upper end of the rocker arm 254.

A nonretrograde pawl 266 normally engages the ratchet teeth 212 toprevent retrograde movement of the counting wheel 210 in acounterclockwise direction. The pawl 266 is biased against the ratchetwheel 210 by a spring 268.

It will be seen that a return spring 270 is connected to the counter orratchet wheel 210 to bias the ratchet wheel in a counterclockwisedirection. The spring 270 affords resilient resistance to the clockwiseadvancing movement of the wheel 210.

The initial position of the counter wheel 210 is established by a stoppin 272, which is engageable with a shoulder 274 on an adjustable stopmember 276. The position of the stop member 276 may be varied bymanually rotating a cam 278 which is connected to a knob or hand wheel281). The cam 278 is rotatable about a shaft or pin 282.

The cam 278 is formed with a plurality of detent notches 284, which areengageable by a follower pin 286 on the adjustable member 276. A spring288 is preferably connected to the adjustable stop member 276 to biasthe pin 286 against the cam 278. It will be seen that the adjustablestop member 276 is formed with a slot 290 which is slidably receivedaround the shaft 282.

It will be evident that rotating the cam 278 controls the position ofthe movable stop member 276, and thus changes the initial position ofthe counter Wheel 210.

As in the case of the first counter, the second counter 116 is adaptedto be reset by means of a resetting cam 294, which is rotatable aboutthe shaft 214. It will be seen that the cam 294 is formed with a lobe296 for push ing the flange 218 out of the notch 216 and away from thecounter wheel 218, and another lobe 298 for pushing the advancing pawl258 and the nonretrograde pawl 266 away from the counter wheel 210.Thus, clockwise movement of the cam 294 releases the counter wheel 210for counterclockwise return movement under the biasing impetus of thespring 270. The earn 294 is adapted to be operated by a link 308connected between the cam 29 4 and the corresponding cam 185 of theupper counter 114. Thus, the link 308 causes the cam 294 to swingclockwise in unison with the cam 185.

It is believed that the operation of the duplicating machine will beclear from the foregoing description, but a brief review of theoperation at this point may be helpful. To initiate the feeding of copysheets, the operator raises the main feed lever 238. Sheets are then fedbetween the printing cylinder 12 and the impression roller 14 by thefeed mechanism, not shown. Each printed copy sheet is cut into twoportions by the sLit-ter wheels 22 and 24.

The first few copy sheets to be printed are deflected into the upperreceiving tray 74 by the movable deflecting plate 119. The triangulardeflecting ridge or hump deflects the two portions of each copy sheet inopposite latena-l directions, so that the slit portions are deposited intwo separate stacks.

The upper counter 114 is effective to shift the deflecting plate 118 ina clockwise direction after a predetermined number of sheets have beendirected into the upper receiving tray 74. The remaining sheets of therun will then travel into the lower receiving tray 76. For each cycle ofthe machine, the ratchet or counter wheel 118 of the upper counter 114is advanced in a counterclockwise direction through one step until theflange 147 enters the notch 149 in the counter wheel. At this point, theadvancing pawl 122 runs out of ratchet teeth so that the '3 wheel 113 isnot advanced any farther. The movement of the flange 147 causes theclockwise swinging movement of the deflecting plate 110.

The lower counter 116 is effective to shut off the feed mechanism aftera predetermined number of copy sheets have been printed. Thus, thecounter or ratchet wheel 210 for the lower counter 116 is advanced onestep in a clockwise direction for each cycle of the machine. Themovement of the lower counter wheel 210 continues until the flange 218enters the notch 216 in the counter wheel. The resulting movement of thecontrol lever 220 causes the main feed lever 230 to be swung to its offposition by the pin 242 on the lever 226.

To make another run, the hand lever 192 is swung in a counterclockwisedirection. Such movement of the lever 192 causes the lever 1 98 to beswung in a counter clockwise direction. By virtue of the connecting iink202, the cam plate 185 is swung in a clockwise direction.Simultaneously, the lower resetting cam 294 is swung in a clockwisedirection by virtue of the interconnecting link 300. The lobes 1 87 and189 on the upper cam 185 push the flange 1417 and the pawls 156 and 122away from the counter or ratchet wheel 118, so that the ratchet wheel isreleased for clockwise return movement under the impetus of the spring154. The counter wheel 118 is thus returned to its initial position inwhich the pin 160 engages the flange 162 on the adjustable stop member164. The position of the stop member 164 is controlled by the manuallyadjustable cam 166. By rotating the cam 166, it is possible to changethe number of copies that will be directed into the upper receiving tray74 during the next printing run.

In the case of the lower counter, the lobes 296 and 298 of the resettingcam 294 push the flange 218 'and the pawls 266 and 250 away from thecounter wheel 210 so that the counter wheel is released forcounterclockwise return movement under the impetus of the spring 270.The wheel 210 thus returns to its initial position in which the pin 272engages the stop shoulder 274 on the movable stop member 276. Theposition of the stop member 276 may be varied by turning the earn 278.In this way, the total number of copies to be printed in the next runmay be varied.

The copies directed into the upper receiving tray 74 may be removedimmediately while the machine is still running. Thus, the initial copiesare available for immediate distribution. The remaining copies areaccumulated in the lower receiving tray 76 for later distribution. Theupper receiving tray 74 may be swung upwardly about the pivots 80, so asto aflord convenient access to the lower receiving tray 76.

Various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may beemployed without departing from the true spirit and scope of the presentinvention, as exemplified in the foregoing description and defined inthe following claims.

We claim:

1. In a printing machine,

the combination comprising printing means for printing successive copysheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the copysheets from said. printing means,

a deflector movable between a first position for directing the copysheets into said upper receiving tray and a second position fordirecting the copy sheets into said lower receiving tray,

and a counter for moving said deflector between said first and secondpositions after a predetermined number of copy sheets have been directedinto said upper receiving tray,

said counter comprising a counter wheel having ratchet teeth thereon,

a ratchet pawl operable by said printing means for engaging said ratchetteeth and advancing said counter wheel,

a spring connected to said counter wheel for biasing said wheel towardits initial position,

a nonretrograde pawl engageable with said ratchet teeth for normallypreventing retrograde movement of said counter wheel,

means resiliently biasing said nonretrograde pawl against said counterwheel,

a movable control member engageable with said counter Wheel andconnected to said deflector,

an element on said counter wheel for operating said control member uponadvancing movement of said counter wheel to a predetermined position,

a stop on said counter wheel,

an adjustable stop member engageable by said stop for selectivelydetermining the initial position of said counter wheel,

and a manually operable resetting cam for moving said pawls and saidcontrol member away from said counter wheel to release said counterwheel for return movement by said spring to its initial position.

2. In a sheet-handling mechanism,

the combination comprising propelling means for propelling successivecopy sheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the copysheets from said propelling means,

a deflector movable between a first position for directing the copysheets into said upper receiving tray and a second position fordirecting the copy sheets into said lower receiving tray,

and a counter for moving said deflector between said first and secondpositions after a predetermined number of copy sheets have been directedinto said upper receiving tray,

said counter comprising a counter wheel having ratchet teeth thereon,

a ratchet pawl engageable with and biased toward said ratchet teeth foradvancing said counter Wheel,

means operable by said propelling means for reciprocating said ratchetpawl,

biasing means connected to said counter wheel for biasing said wheeltoward its initial position,

a nonretrograde pawl engageable with and biased against said ratchetteeth for normally preventing a retrograde movement of said counterwheel,

a movable control member engageable with said counter Wheel andconnected to said deflector,

an element on said counter wheel for operating said control member uponadvancing movement of said counter wheel to a predetermined position,

a stop on said counter wheel,

an adjustable stop member engageable by said stop for selectivelydetermining the initial position of said counter Wheel and therebydetermining the extent of advancing movement of said counter wheel tooperate said control member,

and resetting means for moving said pawls and said control member awayfrom said counter wheel to release said counter Wheel for returnmovement by said biasing means to its initial position as determined bysaid adjustable stop member.

3. In a printing machine,

the combination comprising printing means for printing successive copysheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the copysheets from said printing means,

a deflector movable between a first position for directing the copysheets into said upper receiving tray and a second position fordirecting the copy sheets into said lower receiving tray,

and a counter for moving said deflector between said first and secondpositions after a predetermined number of copy sheets have been directedinto said supper receiving tray,

said counter comprising a counter wheel having ratchet teeth thereon, aratchet pawl operable by said printing means for engaging said ratchetteeth and advancing said counter wheel,

biasing means connected to said counter Wheel for biasing said wheeltoward its initial position,

a nonretrograde pawl engaged with and biased against said ratchet teethfor normally preventing a retrograde movement of said counter wheel,

a movable control member en gageable with said counter wheel andconnected to said deflector,

an element on said counter wheel for operating said control member uponadvancing movement of said counter wheel to a predetermined position,

a stop on said counter wheel,

an adjustable stop member engageable by said stop for selectivelydetermining the initial position of said counter wheel and therebydetermining the extent of advancing movement of said counter wheel tooperate said control member,

and resetting means for moving said pawls and said control member awayfrom said counter wheel to release said counter wheel for returnmovement by said biasing means to its initial position as determined bysaid adjustable stop member.

4. In a sheet handling mechanism,

the combination comprising propelling means for propelling successivecopy sheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the copysheets from said propelling means,

a deflector movable between a first position for direct ing the copysheets into said upper receiving tray and a second position fordirecting the copy sheets into said lower receiving trays,

and a counter for moving said deflector between said first and secondpositions after a predetermined number of copy sheets have been directedinto said upper receiving tray,

said counter comprising a counter wheel having ratchet teeth thereon,

a ratchet pawl engageable with and biased toward said ratchet teeth foradvancing said counter wheel,

means operable by said propelling means for reciprocating said ratchetpawl,

biasing means connected to said counter wheel and biasing said wheeltoward its initial position,

a nonretrograde pawl engageable with and biased toward said ratchetteeth for normally preventing retrograde movement of said counter wheel,

a movable control member engageable with said counter wheel andconnected to said deflector,

an element on said counter wheel for operating said control member uponadvancing movement of said counter wheel to a predetermined position,

a stop on said counter wheel,

an adjustable stop member engageable by said stop for selectivelydetermining the initial position of said counter wheel and therebydetermining the number of copy sheets to be directed into said upperreceiving tray,

and manually operable resetting means for moving said pawls and saidcontrol member away from said counter wheel to release said counterwheel for return movement by said biasing means to its initial positionas determined by said adjustable stop member.

5. In a printing machine,

the combination comprising printing means for printing successive copysheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the copysheets from said printing means,

a deflector movable between a first position for directing the copysheets into said upper receiving tray and a second position fordirecting the copy sheets into said lower receiving tray,

2. counter mechanism for moving said deflector between said first andsecond positions after a predetermined number of copy sheets have beendirected into said upper receiving tray,

means operable by said printing means for. actuating said countermechanism,

said counter mechanism including selectively operable means foradjusting said control mechanism to change the number of copy sheets tobe directed into said upper receiving tray,

and selectively operable means for resetting said counter mechanism toits initial condition.

6. In a printing machine,

the combination comprising printing means for printing copy sheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the copysheets from said printing means,

a deflector moveable between a first position and directing the copysheets into said upper receiving tray and a second position fordirecting the copy sheets into said lower receiving tray,

a first counter mechanism for moving said deflector between said firstand second positions after a predetermined number of copy sheets havebeen directed into said upper receiving tray,

means operable by said printing means for actuating said first countermechanism,

said first counter mechanism including selectively operable means foradjusting said mechanism to change the number of copy sheets to bedirected into said upper receiving tray,

and means for resetting said first counter mechanism to its initialposition,

a second counter mechanism for stopping said printing means after apredetermined number of copy sheets have been printed,

and means operable by said printing means for actuating said secondcounter mechanism.

7. A combination according to claim 6,

including manually operable means for simultaneously resetting saidfirst and second counter mechanism to their initial positions.

8. In a duplicating machine,

the combination comprising means for printing copy sheets,

upper and lower receiving trays for selectively receiving the printedcopy sheets from said printing means,

said upper receiving tray covering at least a substantial portion ofsaid lower receiving tray,

a frame,

means mounting said lower receiving tray on said frame,

pivot means connecting said upper receiving tray to said frame forupward swinging movement away from said lower receiving tray to affordeasy access to said lower receiving tray,

said pivot means including elements retaining said upper receiving trayon said frame against accidental removal,

and means for selectively directing the copy sheets into either of saidreceiving trays,

9. In a sheet handling mechanism,

the combination comprising propelling means for propelling successivesheets,

upper and lower receiving members for selectively receiving the sheetsfrom said propelling means,

said upper receiving member being disposed over and being effective tocover at least a substantial portion of said lower receiving member,

means for selectively directing the sheets upon either of said receivingmembers,

a frame,

means mounting said lower receiving member on said frame,

and pivot means connecting said upper receiving member to said frame forupward swinging movement 1 1 away from said lower receiving member toafiord easy access to said lower receiving member, said pivot meansincluding elements for retaining said upper receiving member on saidframe against accidental removal.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,747,384 2/1930Olson et a1 27164 ROBERT E. PULFREY, Primary Examiner.

DAVID KLEIN, Examiner.

9/1937 Morrison et a1. 101-1325 10 W. MCCARTHY, Assistant Examiner.

5. IN A PRINTING MACHINE, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING MEANS FOR PRINTINGSUCCESSIVE COPY SHEETS, UPPER AND LOWER RECEIVING TRAYS FOR SELECTIVELYRECEIVING THE COPY SHEETS FROM SAID PRINTING MEANS, A DEFLECTOR MOVABLEBETWEEN A FIRST POSITION FOR DIRECTING THE COPY SHEETS INTO SAID UPPERRECEIVING TRAY AND A SECOND POSITION FOR DIRECTING THE COPY SHEETS INTOSAID LOWER RECEIVING TRAY, A COUNTER MECHANISM FOR MOVING SAID DEFLECTORBETWEEN SAID FIRST AND SECOND POSITIONS AFTER A PREDETERMINED NUMBER OFCOPY SHEETS HAVE BEEN DIRECTED INTO SAID UPPER RECEIVING TRAY, MEANSOPERABLE BY SAID PRINTING MEANS FOR ACTUATING SAID COUNTER MECHANISM,SAID COUNTER MECHANISM INCLUDING SELECTIVELY OPERABLE MEANS FORADJUSTING SAID CONTROL MECHANISM TO CHANGE THE NUMBER OF COPY SHEETS TOBE DIRECTED INTO SAID UPPER RECEIVING TRAY, AND SELECTIVELY OPERABLEMEANS FOR RESETTING SAID COUNTER MECHANISM TO ITS INITIAL CONDITION.